WEDNESDAY was the best Fourth of July Emporia has had for many years. The concert, the parade, the street fair and the fireworks drew huge, happy crowds. It was a community celebration of the best sort.
The excuse for having a real Fourth of July blowout was the extended celebration of Emporia’s sesquicentennial. Certainly, a town should throw a big party every 50 years, and 150 years at the same stand is something worth taking note of.
That said, does Emporia really want to wait 50 years for another good Independence Day party? Is there a law that says a city can celebrate its history and the nation’s birthday in a suitable manner only once every 50 years?
There was not one part of this week’s celebration that could not be done every year — from the July 3 concert to the last crescendo of dazzling fireworks at the fairgrounds. There could be a street fair with booths and history exhibits; a parade with floats from organizations, churches and businesses; and, of course, fireworks.
There should be more to the Fourth of July than just fireworks. The holiday is our nation’s largest communal civic celebration and is best observed with community events. Only when we gather together can we fully appreciate our national community and our shared history.
If the nation’s birthday does not seem reason enough for such a celebration, then we offer another reason.
With apologies to the sesquicentennial committee, here is a proposal for a logo for next year’s celebration:
Patrick S. Kelley
Editorial Page Editor
sandyestabrook (anonymous) says...
I agree it was a wonderful celebration but I would like to know before requesting the same every year if the financing came from private donations, organizations or tax dollars.
July 9, 2007 at 6:04 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )